." >> the oakland as have shocked the rangers -- >> reporter: if you were surprised by the as' incredible season, you weren't alone. >> this team is so interesting because i didn't think this was possible. >> reporter: even michael lewis, who literally wroted bo e ethe how oakland turned a small payroll into a big success is surprised. as part of oracle's open world convention, lewis, a wall street trader before becoming an author, talked about the moneyball-era as like a good business gets the most out of their players. >> extremely aggressive. uniquely aggressive about putting players, the players they do have, not interest permanent jobs but into -- not into permanent jobs but into the role on the field, the situations in which they're most likely to succeed. >> reporter: he also talked about how like in silicon valley, hiring managers are more important than ever in baseball. some of the tech industry even call it the moneyball effect. >> the industry has basically acknowledged that the big job is personnel selection. it's putting the right players in uniform. and the micromanagement